UK’s Monsoon would be in India soon

Planet Retail is planning to get Monsoon, the UK-based high street

fashion brand, popular for its ‘boho chic’ (bohemian) fashion, to India soon. Planet Retail is owned by non-resident Indian V P Sharma and Samsonite’s Ramesh Tainwala.

The company has said to have signed a franchisee agreement with UK fashion group Monsoon Accessorize, Monsoon’s sister concern. And it has already launched a kids’ wear segment, through the shop-in-shop format, in company-run Accessorize stores. Now it plans to launch a women’s wear segment in six months.

According to reports, Planet Retail plans to set up a couple of standalone 1,500-3,000 sq. ft. stores in metros and shop-in-shops in large Planet Retail-run stores. Planet Retail has brands such as Accessorize, Lavie, Debenhams, Next, The Body Shop and Nautika under its fold. It currently operates through the shop-in-shop, exclusive brand outlets and departmental store formats.

The retailer, which started operations in the US two years ago with the Accessorize brand, has sold the US licence to Retail Group of America, a subsidiary of Fawaz A Alhokair & Co, its current franchising partner across West Asia. Monsoon operates 1,300 stores across 62 countries..